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2022/23 English Premier League
Matchday 14
Arsenal v Nottingham Forest
Emirates Stadium
London, England
Sunday, 30 October 2022
Kick-off is at 16h00
Premier League leaders Arsenal will target a return to winning ways when they welcome newcomers Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, October 30.
The Gunners dropped points for the first time in five games after being held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton on the south coast last Sunday.
The result allowed Manchester City to reduce the gap in second place to just two points and they have a chance to go top on Saturday with victory over Leicester.
Mikel Arteta's side squandered an 11th-minute lead given to them by Granit Xhaka at St Mary's, with Stuart Armstrong restoring parity on 65 minutes to earn a share of the spoils for the Saints.
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Arteta felt the north Londoners should have come away from the south coast with all three points, admitting they only themselves to blame for not doing more in possession.
"I have a feeling that we lost two points, especially with the way we started the game and the chances we had. When you look back at the chances, we should have come out on top," the Spaniard told the club's official website.
"But we have to blame ourselves. I think the way we played in the first half and in the second half was very different, especially what we did in ball possession.
"We should have more courage, more consistency and be more reliable in ball possession and dominate the game better when we have total control of it.
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"Today we should have won the game and sustained our level, which we haven't done in the second half - and that we have to raise the level again."
The Reds pulled off a shock 1-0 win over Liverpool last Saturday to arrest an alarming nine-game winless streak in the league.
Steve Cooper's team remain rooted to the foot of the table, but a second victory of the campaign saw them go level with Wolves and Leeds directly above them on nine points.
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Cooper has urged his players to use the performance against the Merseyside giants as a yardstick as they look to climb out of the relegation zone and secure their top-flight status for a second successive season.
"We needed a win, the only way to stop a poor run of form is to win a football match and that's what we've done," he said.
"There's a lot of history and nostalgia to this game in particular and I think we've pleased a lot of generations of supporters and that means a lot to me. I'm happy that they can be proud of their club this weekend.
"It's a great win, an important win but that's all it is; a win. We need to use this result now as a reference point to build and improve our league position.
"Spirit and togetherness can be such an advantage and we showed that. It's so important to know we're playing and working for something so big and for me now it's about how we build from here."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Arsenal - 4
Forest - 1
Draws - 0
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